Of the three thousand crewmembers aboard the GW, something like 95 % are enlisted sailors. Their representative, advocate, and ambassador to the Captain is GW's Command Master Chief (CMC) Petty Officer, the senior NCO on board. This is a job of great responsibility. If the food or laundry service in the enlisted spaces is unsatisfactory, it is the CMC who makes sure the Captain knows about it. If a sailor's family member ashore needs assistance, he is the one to coordinate solutions through the Red Cross or other appropriate authority. On GW, the job is ably filled by CMC Kevin Lavin. When you meet him he seems more like the vice-president of a start-up computer company than the traditional gruff, tattooed Navy chief (his background is in electronics maintenance). Chief Lavin is Commander Smith's senior enlisted advisor, and when he speaks both the CO and XO listen closely!
Captain Rutherford and Commander Smith manage an organization that seems more like a small city or corporation than a ship. Its various departments are key to keeping the GW running smoothly for the six months or more that she may spend deployed, or "on cruise" as her crew calls it. Each department performs specific tasks, which make possible the operation of her men, aircraft, and weapons. The alphabetical breakdown of these departments and their heads in the fall of 1997 is shown below:
• Administration (ADMIN)-Headed by Lieutenant Jerry Morrison, this is the primary record-keeping group for the ship, and includes personnel, maintenance, supply, financial, and other files.
• Aircraft Maintenance Division (AIMD)-With almost six hundred personnel assigned, AIMD provides the GW's embarked air wing with spare parts, maintenance facilities, and specialized support personnel. Commander Gordon Coward heads this division.
• Air Department (AIR)-One of the busiest groups aboard the GW, the Air Department controls the operations of the GW's hangar and flight decks, as well as the airspace directly around the ship. The Air Department is led by an officer nicknamed the "Air Boss," and his deputy, the "Mini Boss." While we were aboard GW, the Air Boss was Commander John Kindred, while the "Mini" was Commander Carl June. Both are experienced pilots who have the skills and knowledge to control every type of carrier-capable aircraft under all weather and sea conditions. In late 1997, Commander Kindred was planning to move on to his next assignment, while Commander June would stay aboard and "fleet up" as the new GW Air Boss. Then it will be his job to train a new "Mini" before he moves on in a year or so.
• Crew Recreation and Morale Department (CRMD)-This department deals with the crew's spiritual and moral welfare, and is headed by GW's Command Chaplain, Captain Jim Nichols.
• Deck Division (DECK)-Even in a "high-tech" age of networked computers and PGMs, there is still a need on every Naval vessel for sailors who can handle lines, small boats, anchors, and all the paraphernalia of traditional seamanship. The GW's "Deck Division" handles everything from launching the ship's boats to manning the replenishment stations during underway refueling and replenishment (UNREP). Lieutenant Commander Johnnie Draughton, who will retire in late 1997, and will be replaced by Lieutenant Greg Worley, leads the sailors of the Deck Division.
• Dental Department (DENTAL)-A community of over six thousand people is bound to have some cavities, broken teeth, and dental emergencies while on cruise. Sending them ashore for treatment to a Navy hospital would be impractical and expensive, so GW is equipped with a full dental clinic. Headed by Commander Roger Houk, DDS, the Dental Department has everything necessary for good dental hygiene, not only for the crew of the GW, but also for the crews on the other ships of the battle group.
• Engineering Department (ENG)-The Engineering Department operates and maintains almost every system aboard GW except the two A4W nuclear reactors. These systems include electrical power, air-conditioning, jet and diesel fuel, and sewage transfer systems. Supervising literally hundreds of miles of pipes, ducts, and cable runs, and thousands of valves, pumps, switches, transformers, and gadgets, is GW Chief Engineer (CHENG) Lieutenant Commander Pete Petry.
• Combat Systems Division (CSD)-Without sensors and electronics, modern weapons systems are about as useful in battle as paperweights. The Combat Systems Division cares for the vast array of controlling hardware and software that makes the GW an effective weapons and aviation platform. Heading the CSD is the GW's Combat Systems Officer (CSO), Commander Diana Turonis.
• Legal Department (LEGAL)-Six thousand sailors, Marines, and their families add up to a lot of legal advice. To support this, the GW has a fully staffed Legal Department to ensure that everyone aboard has an up-to-date will and power of attorney before deployment, and to handle any investigations and courts-martial that might arise. As it happens, today's military personnel don't get in trouble with the law nearly as often as previous generations. However, long deployments make for high divorce rates and complex family problems. The ship's Legal Officer (LEGAL-OFF) is Lieutenant Commander Jim Roth, a sharp and able young lawyer. The Legal Officer is also the Captain's technical advisor on Rules of Engagement (ROE), the intricate and ever-changing documents that specify where, when, and how you can shoot.
• Medical Department (MEDICAL)-The GW Medical Department is equipped and staffed to handle everything from minor lacerations and sunburns to life-threatening trauma and accident cases. Because smaller ships of the battle group have only modest medical facilities and staff, GW acts as a central hospital for the force. Heading the GW medical team is the Ship's Medical Officer (SMO), Commander Dean Bailey, MD. He is due for relief in the fall of 1997 by Commander Mike Krentz, MD.
• Marine Detachment (MARDET)-Traditionally, the twenty-six-man Marine Detachment aboard supercarriers provided security for the "special" (the euphemism for "nuclear") weapons that used to be carried aboard. Today, nuclear weapons are no longer carried aboard carriers, and in late 1997 the Corps reassigned its MARDETs. But until that happened, the GW's MARDET commander was 1st Lieutenant Grant Goodrich.